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Yonas Seyoum
Yonas Seyoum, GCQS (Amharic: ዮናስ ሰዩም; October 20, 1914 - December 2, 1990) was an Ethiopian aristocrat and army officer who served in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, World War II, and the Korean War. Early life and family Yonas was born into an aristocratic Amhara family near the town of Lalibela, the second-youngest of five sons. His father, Seyoum Emanuel (1875-1949), a former military officer, had fought in the First Italo-Ethiopian War and was a hero of the Battle of Adwa. He was also a Mekwanint nobleman with ties to both the monarchy and the church. While the other sons of the family became landowners and nobles, Yonas expressed desire to become an officer in the army. With his father's connections, Yonas was able to secure a commission in the Kebur Zabagna, another name for the Imperial Guard, and travelled to the capital of Addis Ababa in 1933. Military service Second Italo-Ethiopian War In his new unit, Metoaleqa (Lieutenant) Yonas was trained in drill, weapons, and tactics by different groups of military advisors from Belgium, Sweden, Turkey, and many other countries. He stood out as an officer, and was given his own command within the 1st Battalion, Imperial Guard. In 1934, he was selected along with a group of Ethiopian officers to travel to France to be educated at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy. Yonas studied at Saint-Cyr for only one year, however, and in July 1935 he was called back to Addis Ababa in the expectation of war. After the Wal Wal incident in late 1934, the Italian Empire sought to expand its colonial posessions in Africa. In mid 1935, the Imperial Ethiopian Army was mobilized and expanded by general conscription of the population. Unlike the majority of the army, which was unorganized, untrained, and poorly armed, the Imperial Guard was an effective and disciplined military unit. While the rest of the guard stayed in Addis Ababa, Metoaleqa Yonas and a small group of guardsmen were sent to the armies near the northern border. On October 3, 1935, Italian forces crossed the Mareb River, invading Ethiopia from Eritrea without a declaration of war. Ethiopia quickly declared war on Italy and the armies scrambled to hold a defensive line. After Adwa fell, the army was ordered to pull back from the Mareb and establish positions around Abbi Addi. Yonas and his men skirmished with the Italian advance guard but could only offer token resistance as Mekele was captured in November. Regrouping even farther to the south, the Ethiopians prepared to counterattack. In the Christmas Offensive, Yonas led his men to recapture Abbi Addi late in December, after it had fallen earlier in the month. Forming the center of the push, the Ethiopians forced the Italians to retreat all the way to Axum as Metoaleqa Yonas and his men kept up the advance. Eventually, the Ethiopian offensive was stopped by determined Italian defenders equipped with poison gas. The Ethiopian forces then began to withdraw into the hills where they prepared to meet the Italians on better ground. In January 1936, The Italians began their own attack, where they met the Ethiopians in the First Battle of Tembien. Yonas led a counterattack which drove the Italians back to Warieu Pass, where they were subsequently encircled and besieged by the Ethiopians. However, they were forced to retreat in the face of an Eritrean attack supported by poison gas. After the destruction of the Ethiopian Army's right flank in February, the army center was the Italians' next target. Later in the month, the army's center was preparing to make a stand north of Abbi Addi, when they came under Italian attack in the Second Battle of Tembien. For hours, Metoaleqa Yonas led his men in a series of ferocious counterattacks near Debra Ansa which failed to break the Italians and Eritreans and resulted in heavy Ethiopian casualties. The army attempted to retreat to the Tekezé fords but came under heavy aircraft bombing and organization disintegrated as the army routed. With no coherent units left, the remains of the armies of Ethiopia rallied at Quorom in March 1936. Metoaleqa Yonas and his men were finally reunited with the rest of the Imperial Guard as the Ethiopians prepared to make their last stand in defense of Addis Ababa. The Ethiopians advanced, and launched a full frontal assault on the Italian positions, beginning the Battle of Maychew. Yonas and his men attacked the slopes of Amba Bokora, pushing into the Italians and inflicting severe damage before being forced to retreat. After regrouping, they made their last-ditch desperate assault against the Eritreans, inflicting heavy casualties as the Imperial Guard was destroyed in the fighting. Early in April, the battered remnants of the army including Yonas retreated to the highlands of Wag and Lasta, breaking the last line of defense for the capital. On this retreat, the Ethiopians were attacked repeatedly by Azebu Galla, Oromo tribesman, and the Imperial Guard fought to hold them off. At Quorom, the army ceased to exist, due to Azebu Galla ambushes, Italian air attacks, and poison gas. Yonas and his men made for Dessie where it was rumored that another stand would be made, but the city had already fallen by this time. Addis Ababa fell on May 5, 1936, and the war was officially over with the subjugation of the Ethiopian nation. Guerrilla movement Metoaleqa Yonas Seyoum, like many other Ethiopian soldiers, was unwilling to surrender and determined to continue the fight no matter the cost. He organized a group of volunteers from the various armies outside Quorom which would function as a mobile resistance unit, part of the growing Arbegnoch, or Patriot, movement. Immediately after the official war ended, Yonas and his Patriots began hit-and-run attacks on the Italian forces, mostly in the area between Addis Ababa and Dessie. They attacked convoys, raided supply depots, and inflicted much damage on the local Italian infrastructure. They also stole military intelligence, destroyed radios and communications equipment, and distributed propaganda to win the local population over to their cause. As the Italians took over more and more of the country, the Patriots were increasingly confined to the hills and the countryside. However, Yonas always maintained a small network of informants in the capital. They kept up their resistance activities through the end of the year and throughout 1937. Yonas and a small elite cadre of experienced officers secretly made their way to the Lasta region in September, where they helped start a general uprising against Italian rule. In Begemder and Gojjam, the Patriots broke into government buildings and fought successful actions against Italian colonial troops. The uprising had done serious damage to the Italian authorities. In June 1938, Italian forces encircled Ankober and the surrounding areas to destroy the resistance cells operating in the territory. The headquarters of Yonas's group were surrounded, and they only fought their way out in a costly breakout. Though it had been successful, the group was forced to temporarily halt guerrilla activity as it found a new headquarters and replenished its depleted ranks. World War II When the world went to war in September 1939, the foreign intervention that had failed to materialize in 1936 seemed like a real possibility. Yonas's Patriot group sent out secret communiques to British Commonwealth forces stationed in Somaliland and Kenya, notifying them of their cooperation should Britain go to war with Italy. However, this did not happen initially. It was only in June 1940 that Britain declared war on the Italian Empire. After this, Yonas's group began rearming and preparing to assist in the liberation of their homeland. Early in 1941, Patriots all across the country rose up and began attacking Italian occupation troops, just as Commonwealth forces crossed Ethiopia's southern border. Yonas's group made its way to the capital, fighting all the way, and there they waited for the Allied forces to reach them. The city was liberated in April, and the Emperor Haile Selassie I entered it in May 1941, exactly five years after it had fallen to the Italians. The war was not over, however, as the remaining Italian colonial forces established a defensive line in the north of the country in Amhara region. Yonas and his men journeyed north, joining up with British and South African forces already engaged against the Italians in their mountain stronghold during the Battle of Amba Alagi. The Ethiopians fought to help encircle the Italians, and soon after, they surrendered. Following the main British army, the Ethiopians went into battle again at the Battle of Culqualber in August. The Allied forces slowly surrounded the Culqualber Pass, where the Italians were dug in. Yonas led his men in a series of ambushes which disrupted enemy communications and supply lines and made several probing actions against the Italian defenses. The Italians did not give up easily, however, and the Ethiopians were subjected to several determined counterattacks throughout September. Renewed Allied assaults in November failed, being either repulsed or driven back by Italian counterattacks. Eventually, the force launched its final assault, and Yonas led his men into the breach where they pushed through the Italians in fierce hand to hand fighting. With this position secured, the Ethiopians moved north and were able to join the final assault on the last Italian stronghold in the Battle of Gondar. After the Allies secured the mountain passes, they attacked the town of Gondar, where they methodically destroyed Italian outposts and pushed into the town center, where the Italians finally surrendered. With the Italians out of the country, Ethiopia, with British help, began to reorganize its army. The Kebur Zabagna, of which Yonas had been a part, was reorganized as the 1st Division Imperial Bodyguard. Yonas was recognized for his actions in the war and promoted to Shambel (Captain) and given command of a company in the 1st Battalion. The war, however, was not over for Ethiopia. Italian and colonial soldiers still fought a guerrilla war in some parts of the country, and for a while in late 1941 and early 1942, it was feared that the German and Italian forces in the Western Desert would succeed against the British and arrive to re-subjugate Ethiopia. For the next couple of years, Shambel Yonas and his men fought a number of pacifying operations against those provinces where the Italian guerrillas had established a foothold. Even into 1943, the Ethiopians were forced to root out remaining Italian forces. The country was finally declared clear in October, a month after the Italian Empire had surrendered to the Allied Powers. Korean War After the defeat of the Axis Powers, Ethiopia began to rebuild. Yonas Seyoum remained in the army, where he and the 1st Division were responsible for the defense of the northern part of the country. In June 1950, North Korea began its invasion of South Korea. In August of that year, in response to the United Nations' request, Ethiopia volunteered to send troops to the country, in accordance with the principles of collective security. The volunteers, taken mostly from the Imperial Bodyguard, were organized into the 1st Kagnew Battalion and sent for eight months to train in the mountains of Ethiopia. Shambel Yonas and the men of the battalion shipped out for Korea in April 1951, and they arrived on the peninsula in June. The Ethiopians had a crash course at Tongnae in South Korea where they learned to use their American weapons, and afterwards were sent immediately to the front lines as a part of the US 7th Infantry Division. Joining the division as a part of its 32nd Infantry Regiment at Gapyeong, the Americans and Ethiopians prepared for combat against the Communist forces. In their first battle, the Kagnew Battalion fought a series of successful small-unit engagements against the Chinese around Mount Jeoggeun in August. In September, Yonas and his men fought a battle near Samhyon where they drove back the Chinese and inflicted heavy losses. In Operation Cleaver, Yonas led his company in the attack on the enemy-held Hill 602. They failed in their first attempt, but managed to capture and hold the hill in fierce fighting against the Chinese defenders. The battalion was relieved after this battle but was called up to the line again in October 1951 as the 7th Division prepared to move out to Satae-ri. The Ethiopians took up positions on Hill 851, the center of the "Heartbreak Ridge" area. They fought off successive Chinese attacks throughout the month and into November, after which the battalion moved to Mundung-ri. Here, Yonas's company attacked the Chinese perimeter at several places, taking the initiative from the Communist forces. After this, the Ethiopians moved back to a rear area for a resting period and then returned to the line in December. From there they were transferred to Hill 1169 in the "Punchbowl" sector, where the Ethiopians launched many patrols against the opposing Chinese positions throughout January and February 1952. In March, the 1st Kagnew Battalion left the frontlines to be replaced by its successor, but Shambel Yonas's company stayed in Korea to join the 2nd Kagnew Battalion. By April, Yonas and his men were integrated into the newly-arrived 2nd Battalion. In June, the battalion moved into the Iron Triangle sector, setting ambushes and exchanging fire with the Chinese. After this action, the Ethiopians were moved into reserve until August, and then again until late September. In October 1952, the Kagnew Battalion was committed to Operation Showdown, a UN offensive set on taking the Chinese-held positions on Triangle Hill and Sniper Ridge. In the Battle of Triangle Hill, the 7th Division secured their objectives, but were subject to a counterattack and in danger of being pushed off the hill. The Ethiopians were called up, and soon after Yonas's men faced a massive attack from the Chinese. Heavily outnumbered and holding back the Communist onslaught, Yonas led the defense of his company, and the enemy attack was barely defeated. Later in the month, at Yugog-ri, the Ethiopians were attacked once again and only succeeded in pushing back the Chinese in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Yonas's men also supported the attack on Hill 400 during this period. In November, the Kagnew Battalion was returned to reserve positions. In December, the Ethiopians moved to the Yeokgok-cheon area, and continued to patrol the sector into January 1953. That month, the battalion took part in Operation Smack, where Yonas and his men pushed the Chinese off of Hill 180 and secured the position. They spent February in reserve again but moved to the Dunksan-ri and Galhwa-dong area in March, where the Ethiopians dug in. With talks at Panmunjom proceeding on schedule, the Communists stepped up their attacks to get a better place at the negotiation table. Patrols often came under heavy attack throughout March and April. Late in the month, the 2nd Battalion was to be replaced with the 3rd. Yonas prepared to leave with his men, only to be told that he was being promoted to Shaleqa (Major) and was to stay in Korea. By May, Yonas had joined up with the 3rd Kagnew Battalion. Yonas took part in the fighting on Yoke Hill, a part of the larger Battle of Pork Chop Hill, where the Ethiopians defeated several Chinese attacks from May into June despite being heavily outnumbered. Returning to the Dunksan-ri and Galhwa-dong area, the battalion continued patrolling until July 27, 1953, when the Armistice Agreement was signed between the United Nations and Communist factions. The 3rd Battalion remained in Korea until 1954, patrolling the new DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in the wake of the fighting. Sheleqa Yonas finally returned home to Ethiopia in May. Retirement After returning from service in Korea, Yonas only remained in the army for three more years. On February 14, 1957, Seleqa Yonas Seyoum retired. He was given a ceremony commemorating his twenty-four years of stalwart service that Emperor Haile Selassie himself attended. Less than a week after, Yonas was knighted by the emperor as an Officer of the Order of the Queen of Sheba. Later life After retirement, Yonas bought a modest house in Akaky Kaliti, a subcity in the capital of Addis Ababa. Back in 1955, he had married Merima Ephraim. They had four children, Sebhat, Tamrat, Kebede, and Belaynesh. In 1960, Yonas was implicated in the Imperial Bodyguard's attempted coup d'état against the emperor, as he was a former Guards officer. He vehemently denied the accusation, stating that he had always been loyal to the emperor first and foremost. He was soon cleared of any wrongdoing. In 1974, a group of Marxist rebels initiated a military coup which overthrew the government and put in place a Communist junta known as the Derg. Yonas, an obvious enemy to the new government, was placed under house arrest in Addis Ababa. His eldest son Sebhat, at that time an army officer cadet, was tortured to death during the regime's brutal Qey Shibir, or Red Terror. Threatened with a similar fate for him and the rest of his family, Yonas remained under house arrest for the rest of his life, until he died on December 2, 1990, having been stripped of his titles and awards by the Derg. In 1992, the new government of Ethiopia posthumously restored Yonas's decorations and gave him a funeral with full military honors near the Church of Saint George in his home town of Lalibela. Views Yonas Seyoum was an Ethiopian nationalist and an avowed supporter of the monarchy and the empire. He supported intervention in Korea on the grounds that no similar aid came to Ethiopia when they were invaded. He supported the federation with Eritrea and opposed its dissolution, but nevertheless backed the government during the Eritrean War of Independence. He despised the Mengistu, the Derg, and everything they stood for, but could not speak out due to his precarious position in the last sixteen years of his life. He felt immense sadness at the murder of his son, but similarly could not express it. Equipment During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and World War II periods, Yonas used the FN Mauser M30 bolt-action rifle purchased from Belgium as well as an Italian Bodeo Model 1889 revolver. He also carried a traditional Shotel, or curved sword. After the war, he retained these weapons, but they were confiscated by the Derg in 1974. In Korea, the Kagnew Battalion was outfitted with American gear. Yonas used an M1 Garand rifle and M1911A1 pistol, as well as the Mk II fragmentation grenade.Category:Soldiers in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War Category:Soldiers in World War II Category:Soldiers in the Korean War Category:Ethiopian soldiers